Cigarette tipping



R. V. CRAGGS CIGARETTE TIPPING Filed April s; 1937' Nw. C

April 16, 1940.

INVENTOR R055 T/ Cmgs BY y ',-f/,r /4

ATTORNEY Patented Apr. 16, 1940 f,

Ross V. Crans.

N. Y., assigner to Brooklyn, American Machine Foundry Oom a corporationof New Jersey Application April 6, 1937, No. 135,305

1 Claim. (01.154-36) This invention relates to cigarette manufacture andmore particularly to improvements in a method of and a machine forproducing cigarettes with cork, gold, ivory or other kinds of tips, and5 has special reference to the continuous rod production of cigarettes.

Heretofore in the manufacture of tipped cigarettes, it has beencustomary to apply adhesive either to the material to be cut into tiplengths lo or to cut the tip lengths to a size adapted to tip twocigarettes, coat one face with adhesive, and then apply them to the web,or to apply the adhesive to the cigarette web at the proper pointsdepending on the lengths of the cigarettes to be formed, and then attachthe cut tip lengths thereto.

In each of these mentioned practices it has been necessary for theadhesive to dry after the tips have been applied to the web. When corktip'material is applied according to the above noted method, there isusually a great possibility of the cork of this material curling becauseit is fabricated by adhesively securing a very thin layer of cork to abacking sheet. 'Ihe cork expands when coated with ordinary adhesive,then dries unevenly with respect to its backing sheet and tends to curl.Also, since the cigarette web is moving at a high rate oi'l speed, thenow commonly used casein and paste adhesives do not .30 have time to drycompletely before the tipped cigarette web is fed into the machine andassociated with the tobacco to form the cigarette rod. From this it canbe seen that there is always the danger of adhesive exuding from underthe tips on the web, which will build up in the machine,

and from time to time cause stoppage for cleaning. So also, when theadhesive has a short length of time to dry, as is usually the case,there is an ever present possibility that the tips on the web will bedisplaced from their proper position and get askew during the feeding ofthe tippedweb into the machine. It has also been found that -in someinstances when the paste holding the tips on the cigarette web is notdry that corners of the tips on the embryo cigarettes are bent back bythe folding mechanism and the cigarettes thus formed are unsalable.

According to the present invention, tips are applied to a continuouslymoving cigarette web in a manner which overcomes any and all of theabove and other disadvantages commonly experienced in cigarette tipping.`'I'he tipping material is coated with a thermoplastic adhesivemaintained in a uid state by heating so that it can be applied as a thincoating to one sm'face of a web of tipping material, or with an adhesiveof a thermoplastic nature which is fluid at the time it is coatedon thetip material web but which becomes non-tacky very quickly after itsapplication to the material so that when tips are af- 5 fixed to the webby heat sealing a complete joinder is effected almost immediately andthe operation of the cigarette machine at all times at highestefficiency is assured. t

One type of thermoplastic adhesive found to 10 be satisfactory for thepurpose of this invention consists of a mixture of carnauba wax anddammar gum, although any other suitable thermoplastic adhesives may beused. Experimentation has shown that a mixture of about car- 1| naubawax and 35% dammar gum, having a melting point of approximately F. givesexcellent results. The proportions of course may be varied.

These adhesives vwhich are kept in a molten condition for application tothe tipping material web are found to have a cementing strength farbeyond that of the pastes and glues now employed for this purpose; theyare not soluble in water, and therefore there is little danger of tipsaixed to the cigarette paper web by this type of material loosening ifsubjected to moisture.

It is also apparent that adhesives consisting of solutions ofthermoplastic materials in solvents may also be used in carrying outthis novel meth- 30 od. These adhesives may be of the type comprisinggums and/or resins in pyroxylin. In use this type of adhesive is appliedto the surface of the tipping material in a well known manner and thevolatile solvents evaporate leaving a 35 ilexible coating ofthermoplastic adhesive thereon.

It is desirable, however, that the adhesive used be substantiallyodorless, and colorless and transparent. It is also advisable that anadhesive o having a higher melting point be used in climates where thetemperature is apt to be relatively high, and especially where thetipping material is coated prior to use, and shipped in rolls to theplace where it is to be used, in order to prevent sticking Aandtearingof the tip material webs as they are fed into the cigarette machines.

'Ihe tip material can either be coated in advance of its use incigarette machines in which case rolls of cork or other well knowntipping 50 substances are unwound, coated with the adhesives, rewoundand stored or shipment and for future use, or the tip material can befed directly into .the machine after coating. In either case lengths,usually of a size requisite for two cigu arettes, are cut from thecoated tip web, fed into juxtaposition with the traveling cigarette web,and a heat sealing member presses the two together and thereby energizesthe adhesive 4to a tacky state so that the tip length and moving web areeffectively joined together.

Among the many advantages accruing from this invention are: a reductionin the mechanism of the present tipping mechanism by about fifty percentsince it eliminates the adhesive applying mechanism devices forregistering the coated cigarette paper web with cut lengths andsynchronizing means therefor. Also as the adhesive hardens almostinstantly, there can be no deposit or transfer of adhesive or gum to thetip length, cutting knife, folding device, sealer or any other part ofthe machine. Furthermore, since the tip lengths are affixedsubstantially immediately, the speed of the tipper is limited only bythe velocity of the cigarette forming mechanism itself. Also, since theadhesive is placed over the entire surface of the back of the tippingmaterial, there will be no dimculty in sealing right out to the edge ofthe paper, and since the adhesive at the time tip lengths are applied tothe cigarette web contains no water or other solvent, there will be nocurling of the cork or other tip material on the cigarette paper web.The method is adaptable-to the application of any rtype of tip material,since the adhesives are exceedingly strong and will hold either cork,gold, ivory or straw and it will be impossible for tips of thesematerials to spring or peel off the paper byreason of their stiffness.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a novel methodof, attaching tipping material to cigarette paper webs.

It is an added object to provide a novel method of tipping travelingWebs of cigarette paper by applying the tip lengths thereto by heat andpressure.

The method also consists in the application of a substantiallycolorless, odorless and tasteless thermoplastic adhesive to a continuousweb of cigarette tipping material, cutting lengths therefrom andapplying the lengths to a traveling web of cigarette paper.

The method also consists in applying tipping material to a web ofcigarette paper by energizing a waterproof adhesive which is applied totip lengths and is substantially instantaneously hardening so that tipsare more rapidly applied, more firmly anchored to the web and will notbe affected by moisture.

The invention also contemplates the provision of mechanism foractivating a thermoplastic and waterproof adhesive coating on a supplyof tipping material, .applying thel tips cut from said supply and sotreated to a traveling cigarette paper web as said adhesive isenergized.

With these and other objects not specically mentioned in view, theinvention consists in certain constructions and combinations which willbe hereinafter fully described, and then specifically set forth in theclaim hereunto appended.

In the accompanying drawing which forms a part of this specification,and in which like characters of reference indicate the same or likeparts:

Fig. 1 is a side view of a portion of a cigarette making machine,showing the tipping mechanism and the adhesive applying device;

Fig. 2 is a sectional detail view, taken on line 2-2 of Fig. 1, of thesealing roller; and

Fig. 3 is a view showing a roll of tipping material having one facecoated with a hardened thermoplastic adhesive.

Referring to the drawing, the tipping material C in the formI of acontinuous web is drawn from a supply reel, not shown, guided under aroller Ill,

over an adhesive applying wheel I I, then under a roller I2, around aroller I3 and between the feeding-rollers I4 and I5 enclosed in a casingI6 ilxed to the cigarette machine in a manner similar to that shown incopending application S. N. 98,280lgd August 2 8, 1936, by CharlesArelt, for Cigarette paper feed.

Roller Il is mounted on shaft I1 and in revolving, picks up adhesivestored in the receptacle I8 and applies it to the tipping material C asit is fed across its moving surface. A suitable heater means, indicatedat I 9, is attached to the base of adhesive will be properly applied tothe continuo-us web C.

The feed roller I4, mountedon a stud 20, is carried by an arm v2ipivotally supported on stud 22 fixed to casing I6. A spring 23 connectedat one end to the arm and at the other to the casing provides means fornormally holding roller I4 in contact with the driven feed roller I5.'Ihe tipping material advanced by the feeding members, enters a guideway24 formed in bracket 28 leading to.a revolving drum 25 which mounts aknife 26 adapted to cut a length of tip from the continuous tipping webwhen it engages a ledger 21 adjustably mounted in bracket 28, as morefully shown and described in copending application S. N. 14,994, filedby James W. Leary, April 6,

'Ihe paper strip P is unwound from a'supply reel by feed rollers similarto those disclosed in the above noted copending Arelt patent applica`tion. The paper P issuing from these feed rollers is then guided aboutrollers 30, 3l and 32 and upwardly between drum 25 and a. coactingheated tip length applying roller 33. Member 33 is provided with araised portion 34 adapted to clamp the paper P and the advancing tiplength against drum 25, included in an electrical circuit 0'0 with thecurrent source S', which causes the coating on the tip length to beactivated so that it integral therewith, as vshown in Fig. 2. or ailixedthereto. A shaft 25a which carries rollers 25 is driven by conventionalmeans from the cigarette machine (not shown) and is provided with gears25h and 25e, the former meshing with gear 33a, and the latter meshingwith a gear I5a fixed on the shaft l5b of lower feed'roller I5.

The ycigarette wrapping web P' thus prepared with the spaced tip pieces,which are substantially lled around guide rollers 38 and 39, passed overa.

guide plate 40, forwarded between guide rollers 4I and 42-and therebydirected in completely nished condition to the continuously runningfolding tape 46 of the cigarette machine which is suitably driven fromthe main drive of said i machine.

rharden before rewinding. 'Ihese rolls can then be shipped to any pointfor use with mechanism of the type as described above and tip lengthscut therefrom can be readily amxed to the cigarette paper webs. l

The various means referred to Amay be varied in construction within thescope of the claim, for the particular device selected to illustrate theinvention is but one of the many possible concrete embodiments of thesame. 'I'he yinvention is not, therefore, to be restricted' to theprecise details of the structure shown and described.

What is claimed is:

In a continuous rod cigarette machine, a tipping mechanism comprisingmeans for continuously feeding a continuous web of cigarette paper,

means for continuously feeding a continuous web fof tipping material,means for cutting tip length sections from said Itipping material webWhile advancing the cut tip length sections to a heat sealing zone, saidsections having a heat-responsive thermoplastic component, heat-sealingmeans acting to energize the adhesive on said sections, and means forfeeding said heat-responsive tip sections into juxtaposition with saidpaper web while firmly held ,by said section feeding means, the latterincluding a pressing device constructed and arranged to engage saidassembled web and sections, and to press said web and sections togetherto eiect a substantially permanent joinder thereof, said means forfeeding the paper web being coordinated with said section-applyingmechanism to present the paper web for application of the tip sectionsthereto at suitable cigarette length intervals and to deliver the tippedweb l continuously.

. ROSS V. CRAGGS.

